1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of accruing fees in a switching system, and an apparatus for performing the same.
The switching system to which the present invention refers is composed of an electronic exchange, a plurality of subscriber terminal equipment units connected to the electronic exchange, for performing a communication therebetween, a mail storage means, (i.e., a mail system) connected to the electronic exchange for providing a variety of mail services demanded by each call originating subscriber to one or more call terminating subscribers, and an accounting means connected to the electronic exchange, for accruing fees to be charged to persons specified by each call originating subscriber.
The mail system (mail storage means) contains a mail box and registers various mail services of voice, facsimile and broadcasts such as etc. conference announcements, commercial information, to the mail box when requested by a service demand subscriber of the telephone exchange. Then the mail system (mail storage means) sends the voice, facsimile, announcements or information to the telephones or the facsimiles of a plurality of the requested call terminating subscribers, at the same time or sequentially, or at a specified time. In this case, the subscriber is normally charged a service fee for the related communication to the service requesting subscriber.
2. Description of the Related Art
When levying a communication fee for a telephone exchange, the fee is generally charged to a call originating subscriber. Namely, the charging method is such that, when a call is originated, the related exchange extension is determined and a fee in accordance with the call duration, call distance and call rate is calculated with respect to the thus-determined exchange extension. In the above method of charging, the extension used for the connection (service) is determined to be a charged person.
Contrary to the above, when performing the mail service, for example a broadcast service, a call originating subscriber is regarded as a person who has merely demanded (requested) a connection service to the mail system having a service function. This means that an actual connection (service) call to a call terminating subscriber originated from the exchange extension connected to the mail system. Therefore, the exchange extension to which the fee is to be charged is not the call originating extension connected to the actual charged person, (i.e., the mail service requesting subscriber), but the call originating extension connected to the mail system. Thus, the accounting information regarding the call originating exchange extensions is collected separately at the accounting apparatus. In this case, however, one of the exchange extensions deals with call request services requested from not only the above exchange extension but also other exchange extensions, and therefore, it is impossible to distinguish the accounting for the subscribers to be charged, (i.e., the mail service requesting subscribers), individually.
As mentioned above, according to the prior art method applied in the case of the mail service and so on, a call originating exchange extension connected to a subscriber to be charged the fee, i.e., a mail service requesting subscriber, does not coincide with the call originating exchange extension connected to the mail system, and thus a problem occurs in that it is impossible to charge the fee to the subscribers to be charged individually.